THE ANEMONE. 267 



or four inches separate in the rows. They should be so 

 close that the foliage shall cover the surface of the bed, for 

 in this way a salutary degree of shade and moisture is pre- 

 served. The autumn-planted roots must be sheltered from 

 frost by old tan or hooped mattings. "When in flower, the 

 plants are covered with an awning. When the leaves 

 wither, the roots are taken up, dried, and stored. 



Scarcely any florists' flower is more readily propagated 

 from seed, or sooner repays the care of the cultivator. The 

 seed is obtained sparingly from semidouble sorts, which are 

 often of themselves very beautiful flowers. It is generally 

 sown in boxes in autumn or spring ; but it may also be 

 sown with success in the open ground. The young plants 

 flower, often in the second, and always in the third, year. 



The Anemone of the flower garden includes two species, 

 Anemone coronaria, a native of the Levant, and A. hor- 

 tensis, a native of Italy. These have long shared the at- 

 tention of the florist, and in his arrangements have generally 

 been associated with the ranunculus, resembling it in its 

 natural affinities and mode of culture. The single and 

 semidouble flowers are considered nearly as fine as the 

 double ones. The sorts are numerous, but at present are 

 seldom distinguished by names. In a fine double anemone, 

 the stem should be strong, erect, and not less than nine 

 inches high. The flower should be at least two and a half 

 inches in diameter, consisting of an exterior row of large 

 well-rounded petals, in the form of a broad shallow cup, 

 the interior part of which should contain a number of small 

 petals, mixed with stamens, imbricating each other. The 

 colors should be clear and distinct when diversified in the 

 same flower, or striking and brilliant when there is only 

 one tint. Of late years, anemones remarkable for the mag- 

 nitude of their flowers and the brilliancy of their hues have 



